Paris - Saba:
French energy group EDF announced the complete shutdown of its Gravelines nuclear plant, the largest in Western Europe, late Monday night after a massive swarm of jellyfish clogged the cooling system pumps, shutting down four of its six reactors.
The crisis began on Sunday evening when the pumping station filters were filled with an "unexpected" swarm of jellyfish, leading to the automatic shutdown of reactors 2, 3, and 4 before midnight. Reactor 6 followed suit on Monday, according to Sputnik.
The other two units had previously been shut down for maintenance, leading to the complete shutdown of the plant.
EDF confirmed that the automatic shutdown of the four units did not affect the safety of the facility, its workers, or the surrounding environment, noting that the plant's teams are currently working to diagnose the problem and take the necessary steps to restart the reactors safely.
The Gravelines plant is located in northern France between Dunkirk and Calais and is the largest in Western Europe, with a production capacity of 900 megawatts per reactor.
The plant plans to add two new reactors, each with a capacity of 1,600 megawatts, by 2040.
The beaches near the plant have witnessed a significant increase in jellyfish numbers in recent years, due to rising water temperatures and the spread of invasive species.
Derek Wright, a marine biologist consultant with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, explained that warmer waters in the North Sea are prolonging the breeding season for jellyfish, increasing their numbers.
He pointed out that jellyfish, such as the Asian moon jellyfish spotted in the North Sea in 2020, can be transported via the ballast water of ships, contributing to their global spread.
Wright added that these species prefer calm, plankton-rich waters, such as harbors, which pose a threat to nuclear power plants, as has previously happened in China, Japan, and India.
He raised concerns about thermal pollution from nuclear plants, which could exacerbate this problem.
| more of (International) |